Whipping top



Dec. '2, 1930. H. VOLLHARDT WHIPPING TOP Filed Jan. 5, 1929 Patented Dec. 2, 1930 UNITED STATES HEINRICH voLLrLABm, F FRANKFOItT-0N-THE-MAIN, GERMANY WHIPPING T01? Application filed January 3, 1929, Serial No. 329,975, and in Germany October 8, 1928.

The present invention relates to a coloured whipping top in which a multi-coloured ball is embedded in the body of the top and partly projects from the upper surface there- 5 of, the ball being loosely mounted in a recess in the top of the top and prevented from falling and jumping outby inwardly projecting portions of the top or parts thereof.

It is already well known to provide multicoloured rotation bodies on or in the top of the top turned towards the observer, this body being moved positively and. for which purpose it is necessary to effect the drive by more or less complicated mechanical gears.

The present invention differs from these known arrangements in that the rotary body,

consisting of a ball, is loosely mounted in the body of the top and is freely movable in any direction therein, whilst a driving device is not required for the movement thereof. It"

is the object of the present invention to increase the attraction of the top by causing the ball to change its colour at each stroke of the whip and of which the sequence of appearance, in contradistinction to the arrangements of this character already known, is arbitrary and cannot be foreseen. The cost of production of the new top is very low by reason of the omission of separate driving devices which permits of general application and use of the top. The change of the colour actions which cannot be predicted in advance and occurring quite arbitrarily are due to the fact that the ball tends, by reason of the sudden movement of the axis of rotation of the top produced by the whipping, to retain its own axis of rotation which during the rotations of the top coincides with the axis of the latter and is mostly in a vertical direction. In this manner there is produced a relative movement of the ball in relation to the body of the top which produces a change of the visible portion of the outer surface of the ball and the colours provided thereon.

In the accompanying drawing are illustrated by 'way of example two forms of construction in'accordance with the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of one orm of construction wherein an annular disc for holding the ball in position is fitted to the top of the top, and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a second form of construction of a one piece top.

In the drawing a indicates the ball provided with any suitable number and suitably distributed colour fields, this ball being loosely mounted in a recess 6 of the body 0 of the top; The ball a is prevented from falling or'jumping out of the recess b by any suitable means. As shown in Figure 1 the ball may be held in the recess for example by a separate annular closing disc (6 fitted on the upper surface of the top and having its inner edge extending to near the periphery of the ball.

In the second form of construction of the invention as shown in Figure 2 the tdp c is formed in one piece from suitable material, for example sheet metal, and the upper edge e is bent inwardly and downwardly over the ball. ,In this form of construction the ball may rest loosely on separate projections f projectingtowards the interior of the hollow body of the to p, these projections preventing the ball from wedging in the lower reduced portion of the body of the top.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A top having a chamber in its upper portion and an opening in its upper side communicating with and of less diameter than the extreme diameter of the chamber and a ball freely placed in said chamber and carried loosely by the top, said ball projecting upwardly above the top through said opening and the diameter of the ball being greater than that of said opening. 2. A top as claimed in claim 1, in which the opening is defined by an inwardly extending flange with which'the ball is provided.

3. Atop as claimed in claim 1, in which the surface of the ball is provided with differently colored portions. 1 e

4. A top as claimed in claim 1, in which the surfa e of the ball is provided with differently colored segments.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

HEINRICH VOLLHARDT. 

